Beneficial bacteria have been utilized to suppress the growth of pathogenic bacteria. Bacteria and other microorganisms are ubiquitous in the environment. The discovery of pathogenic bacteria and the germ theory of disease has had a tremendous effect on health and disease states. Bacteria are a normal part of the intestinal contents of all living things. These bacteria are not pathogenic under normal conditions, and in fact improve health by rendering the normal intestinal contents less hospitable for disease causing organisms. This is accomplished in a number of ways: nutrients are consumed, leaving less for pathogens; conditions are produced, such as pH, oxygen tension, which are not hospitable for pathogens; compounds are produced that are toxic to pathogens; pathogens are consumed as food by these microorganisms; less physical space remains available for pathogens; and specific binding sites are occupied leaving fewer for pathogens. The presence of these desirable bacteria is seen as useful in preventing disease states.
Fermentation of food products has been done to substitute a desired non-pathogenic strain for potential spoilage or pathogenic organisms. Brewed beverages, wine, pickled food, fermented milk products including cheese, yogurt, buttermilk, sausage are all examples where desired microorganisms are deliberately inoculated into food products under conditions that favor their growth and inhibit the growth of spoilage and pathogenic strains. U.S. patents disclosing the use of specific bacteria to inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria include: U.S. Pat. No. 3,984,575 issued to Farr Oct. 5, 1976; U.S. Pat. No. 4,689,226 issued to Nurmi, et al. Aug. 25, 1987; U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,686 issued to Grahn, et al. Jun. 21, 1994; U.S. Pat. No. 5,451,400 issued to Stern, et al. Sep. 19, 1995; U.S. Pat. No. 5,604,127 issued to Nisbet, et al. Feb. 18, 1997; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,807,546 issued to Stern, et al. Sep. 15, 1998.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,176,911 issued to Tosi, et al. Jan. 5, 1993 discloses the use of specific bacteria recovered from healthy asymptomatic patients and characterized in the laboratory as a preventative and curative topical application to the vaginal area of women suffering from vaginal yeast infections.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,534,253 issued to Casas, et al. Jul. 9, 1996, discloses administering a specific Lactobacillus reuteri strain through external spraying, incorporation into feed, or injection into eggs, to produce an antibiotic substance identified as .beta.-hydroxypropionaldehyde.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,080,401 issued to Reddy, et al. Jun. 27, 2000, discloses the addition of various probiotics to herbal and pharmaceutical drugs to increase their efficacy. The probiotic is selected from the group consisting of non-pathogenic members of genus Lactococcus, Lactobacilius, Pediococcus, Streptococcus, Propionibacterium, Brevibacterium, Penicillium, and Saccharomyces, and mixtures thereof. In the examples, the bacteria are ingested along with the drug or used in a tooth cleaning preparation.